SMART DEVICES

CASE STUDY REVIEW

FOR CA 1 ONLINE TEST (40%)
1. Identify and describe three macroenvironmental forces that may
affect the smart pet devices market in Singapore and determine their
impact on the success of Smartpaw pet devices. (8 marks each)

Competitive • Focus on nature of competition

Socio-
• Focus on population and social trends
demographic
• Focus on income distribution, purchasing
Economic
power, and globalisation
• Focus on laws and regulations on the
Regulatory
industry
Technological • Focus on new technology
GUIDE TO ANSWERING QUESTION (8 MARKS)

General Guide:
 0-2 marks if wrong evidence is cited that relates to environmental forces
 3-4 marks: evidence cited but not specific or detailed enough
 5-6 marks: strong evidence cited that describes the environmental forces with some
application to explain how it affects the company’s business
 > 6 marks: Provide strong evidence that describes the environment and its impact on
the company and how it responds to these environment effectively or ineffectively
WHAT ARE GOOD QUALITY ANSWERS
 Draw evidence from case (Do
not quote)
 Relate these evidences to the
concept directly
 Discuss the impact of
environment to the business
 Describe in detail the environmental trend
(cite evidence from case)
 What is the impact on the company?
 How did the company tap on the positive
trends in environment?
 How does it respond to the forces that
affects it negatively?
 Competitive Environment:
Relevant Evidence cited with detailed explanation
The competitive environment describes the number of competitors
Description of
and the intensity of competition in the smart pet devices market.
the
There appears to be only 3 competitors in the market which has
competitive
started selling smart pet devices – Smartpaw, Kohepets and Pet
environment –
Widget as these devices have only started sales at the beginning of
cite evidence
the year.
from case
study
This spell good news for Smartpaw as Dean Tan seems to have
Impact of tapped into a market with good potential for sales as there are
competitive more pet owners (67000 dog licenses) and evidence in the case
environment indicates that local Sales from Gosh revealed that sales has
On Smartpaw increased 50% for smart pet devices. Thus it is likely he will
and its continue to do well as long as he is proactive in sourcing for new
response to smart devices and bringing them into Singapore before his
environment competitors
 Socio-demographic Environment:
Relevant Evidence cited with detailed explanation
Description of Socio-cultural environment refers to the socio-cultural trends in
the socio- the environment that influence the demand for smart pet devices
demographic in Singapore. Smarpaw should target demographic groups like
environment – elderly and singles as more elderly living alone owns pets to keep
cite evidence them company. Many singles who lead busy lifestyles and had no
from case time to date and find partners are also known to own dogs who
study can keep them company as they go for daily runs in the park.

Impact of It might be challenging for elderly to learn to use these high tech
socio- devices so Smartpaw should target singles first. Single
demographic professionals are likely to be ideal target consumers as they have
environment high income and are prepared to spend money on smart devices to
and its keep their pets safe and loved.
response to
environment
 Technological Environment:
Relevant Evidence cited with detailed explanation
With the increasing use of smart phones, it is not surprising that pet
Description of
owners are using smart food feeders that can dispense food and
the how
drinks to their dogs with a tap of their mobile phone screens or use it
technology are
to monitor their pets’ food and water intake through an app. It also
used – cite
allows them to track their movements in the home or allow them to
evidence from
talk and play with their pets remotely with lasers. With
case study
advancements in GPS, there is now a tracker device that allows
owners to track the location of their pets or to include key
Impact of information about their pets if they get lost.
technological
environment Smartpaw can bring in smart devices that can be multi-
and its functional and ensure that pet owners can easily use one app
response to to perform automatic feeding, to talk to their pets and track
environment when they are lost. This will provide convenience to customers
instead of buying 3 different products that needs 3 separate
apps.
 FIGURE 1-3 Marketing seeks to discover consumer needs
through research and then satisfy them with a marketing
program

Customer
Value
Proposition
: How it
meets
customers
needs?
Benefits
the product
offers
 TOPIC 3: Part 2: PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
MOTIVATION

Motivation
-Maslow’s
Hierarchy
-Of Needs

5-9
QUESTION ON VALUE PROPOSITION (MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS)
GUIDE TO ANSWERING QUESTION (4-5 MARKS)

General Guide:
 0-2 marks if insufficient evidence provided or wrong evidence cited
 2 marks only if right evidence is matched to the concept but lack
explanation
 3-5 marks if explanation is provided that demonstrates a strong
understanding of how the evidence relate to the marketing concept
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Safety Needs
Safety needs are characterized as the freedom from harm in terms Mix and
of mental well-being. Pet feeders permit owners to talk to and play match the
correct level
with their pets which help soothe separation anxiety. This means,
of needs to
pets tend to be mentally healthier as they receive enough attention evidence
from owners.

Pet Widget makes a difference to guarantee pet’s security when

Ensure that
they are lost, as they permit individuals who discover lost pets the
to look up their owners' contact data including their explanation
medical records. Therefore, owners will not have a hard time explain nature
finding their pet or feeling assured when their pets are out and of safety
about.  needs well
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological Needs
Food and water is a basic need in survival for a pet. Mix and
match the
As pet owners like the elderly or singles often live alone with their correct level
dogs, they must ensure that their pets are duly fed each day. of needs to
evidence
However, often, pet owners need to work late and finds it difficult
to rush home on time to feed their pets, the automatic food feeder
device enable the pet owners to dispense kibble to their furry
Ensure that
companions by simply tapping on their mobile phone screens. the
explanation
The smart device thus help meet the physiological needs of the pet explain nature
by ensuring that the pet’s food and water intake is tracked properly of
through the app to ensure they are properly fed and not overfed physiological
so they do not become obese. needs well
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Social Needs
Mix and
Automatic feeder devices not only work on feeding the pet, it match the
allows owners to talk to and even play with their dogs using correct level
lasers – this meets both the social needs of the owners and the dog. of needs to
When the smart device allows the dog to interact with its owners, evidence
it reduces separation anxiety and soothe their emotional needs.
Similarly, owners are able to reach out to their pets even if they
Ensure that
are not physically there to demonstrate their love for their pets.
the
explanation
Likewise, this improves their social relations with their
explain nature
neighbours as the smart device will ensure their pets do not bark of social
often out of anxiety and disturb the neighbourhood.. needs well
Which problem-solving process will the following target consumers use in
considering whether to buy a smart pet device? Can Smartpaw target this
segment?
i) Singles who owns pets
5-14
 LIMITED PROBLEM-SOLVING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS FOR SINGLES :
 The decision-making process which is relevant to singles is limited
problem solving. Singles who live alone and work long hours are likely to
already recognise a need for smart pet device – as they belong to the
Provide an
generation that grew up with technology and use mobile apps regularly, argument to
they will be attracted to the ease of use of the app that allows them to demonstrate
you understand
operate it even when they are far away from home and in the office. this concept and
apply it to how
 To target this segment, Smartpaw need only put up a large poster at pet this segment is
stores with a QR code offering a 15% discount to entice the singles to likely or
unlikely to buy
check out its website. A video demonstrating how the product works will smart pet
be sufficient - a lower price with one year warranty will put Smartpaw devices
device as their number one choice next to the other brands. They will
probably be willing to purchase online and get the product delivered to
their homes. This is a good demographic market for Smartpaw to target.
Which problem-solving process will the following target consumer use in
considering whether to buy a smart pet device? Can Smartpaw target this
segment?
i) Elderly who owns pets
5-16
 EXTENSIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS FOR ELDERLY :
 The decision-making process which is relevant is extensive problem
solving. It is likely to be use by elderly as they have little experience with
using mobile apps and thus have little or no experience with use of smart
Provide an
devices for daily use. Elderly will adopt extensive problem solving and it argument to
requires significant effort to find information, evaluate and learn how to demonstrate
you understand
use these smart pet devices. this concept and
 To target this segment, Smartpaw cannot rely only on its website or apply it to how
this segment is
youtube to demonstrate how the product works, they will probably need to likely or
create awareness with elderly by holding demonstrations at community unlikely to buy
smart pet
events and helping the elderly set up the apps to show them how easy it is devices
to use their pet feeders. If Smartpaw cannot get elderly to recognise there
is a need for this product, it is unlikely they will be able to market to this
demographic group.
